COLOSSIANS (7) The Supremacy of Jesus Christ (Col 1:15-20)

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col 1:15-20)

​Review
We’ve been talking about the book of Colossians. Last Sunday, we finished Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Colossae. Paul told them that ever since he had heard about their faith and situation from Epaphras, he had never stopped praying for them.
 
Paul mostly prayed about two things. First, he prayed that God would fill them with knowledge of God and allow them to grow in it. Second, he prayed that they would be strengthened by “all power according to His glorious might” so that they might not only endure their difficulties with great patience but also rejoice and give thanks to God all the more.
 
Then Paul gave the reason they were able to give joyful thanks to God in difficult situations that required endurance and patience. That’s because “God has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” (Col 1:12)
 
The reason we can rejoice and be grateful in every situation is because we don’t put our hope in this world, but in the kingdom of God. The former is temporary but the latter is eternal. The glory that belongs to this world doesn’t last long, but the glory we’ll have in the kingdom of God will be everlasting.
 
Our joy in this world is very conditional and thus changes a lot, but the joy we’ll have in the kingdom of God will be unconditional and never change.
 
In addition, the promise of the eternal kingdom of God is firm and secure because the 100% certainty of us sharing in this heavenly inheritance is guaranteed by God Himself.
 
The Bible says that God, who doesn’t lie and never fails to keep His covenant, not only promised us this inheritance, but also made an oath to confirm it to us. The confidence we have in receiving the kingdom doesn’t come from us but from God’s faithfulness.
 
That’s what we must put our hope in as Christians. If we do so, we’ll always be able to overcome the difficult situations we may face because of our faith in Jesus.
 
In the next verse, Paul wrote how God made it possible for us, who “were dead in [our] sins” and thus “by nature deserving of [God’s] wrath” (Eph 2:1,3), to be qualified to share in His glorious, eternal inheritance in heaven.
 
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1:13-14)
 
To rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into His kingdom, God has given us His only Son as an atoning sacrifice in whom we have true redemption and forgiveness.
 
That’s the essence of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He saved us from our sin and death through His sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven and so that we could become qualified to share in the kingdom of God. That’s what we must continue to keep in mind in order to live as Jesus’ sincere disciples in this world.
 
The Supremacy of Christ
Now, let’s move on to the next paragraph in Colossians chapter 1. After explaining the great sacrifice Jesus made to save us, Paul now focuses on who Jesus Christ is Himself.
 
Who is Jesus that He could give us redemption and forgiveness and bring us into the kingdom of God? That’s what Paul discusses to support His assertion.
 
In this passage, Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 to 20, Paul focuses on how supreme and sufficient Jesus and His works are. These two words, ‘supremacy’ and ‘sufficiency,’ are the key words of this passage.
 
These two words are closely related and complementary to one another. Because Jesus is ‘supreme’ over everything, His salvation is ‘sufficient’ to bring everyone on earth redemption and forgiveness. That’s the point of today’s passage. Now, let’s dig deeper into it.
 
1. Christ’s Supremacy through Creation
First, Paul mentioned God’s creation to support Christ’s supremacy over everything. Let’s read verses 15-17 again.
 
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:15-17)
 
Here, Paul addresses two things to explain Jesus’ supremacy.
 
A) The Son is the Image of the Invisible God
First, Paul said, “The Son is the image of the invisible God.” This expression is also found in other Bible verses.
 
Paul said in 2 Corinthians,
“The light of the gospel… displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2Co 4:4)
 
The author of Hebrews also mentioned creation and the image of God in Jesus in its introduction.
 
“Through [his Son] he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” (Heb 1:2-3)
 
Jesus also said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9)
 
We can find the truth about the Trinity in many other Bible verses. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are the one and only God who share the same essence.
 
That’s why John boldly proclaimed, “The one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (Jn 1:18)
 
So, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is the exact representation of God’s being who created the whole universe with His power through His word. Nothing can explain Christ's supremacy and superiority more than this fact.
 
And if we believe that this is true, we can also believe that He is more than enough to be the representative of all human beings and that His ministry of salvation can be ‘sufficient’ to save everyone on earth without exception.
 
B) The Son is the Firstborn over All Creation
Second, Paul uses the specific word ‘firstborn’ to support Jesus’ supremacy. Paul said that the Son is the firstborn over all creation.
 
Given the context, this certainly couldn’t mean that Jesus is also one of the creations that was created ‘first,’ because Paul added right afterwards, “in him all things were created… He is before all things” (Col 1:16-17)
 
Then, why did Paul use the word ‘firstborn’ to explain Jesus’ supremacy? The real point Paul is making about Jesus being firstborn is that He is the “heir of all things” (Heb 1:2).
 
In Jewish society, the firstborn had a lot of privileges. The firstborn was always ‘first’ in receiving his father’s inheritance.
 
So, the fact that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation means that He has authority to inherit and rule over all things. This is supported by the fact that Paul intentionally used the phrase ‘all things’ in the same passage.
 
“All things have been created through him and for him… and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:16-17)
 
So, what Paul emphasizes by using the word ‘firstborn’ is that Jesus’ work of salvation would be in effect in all things on earth… “Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities” (Col 1:16)
 
2. Christ’s Supremacy in the Church
After explaining Jesus’ supremacy over all things through creation, Paul then turns the reader’s attention to Jesus’ supreme role in the church. Let’s read Colossians 1:18 together.
 
A) Christ Is the Head of the Church
“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col 1:18)
 
Here, Paul is talking about Jesus’ supremacy in the church. Christ, who is worthy of inheriting and ruling over all things, is now acknowledged as ‘the head of the body, the church.’
 
But, we shouldn’t think that Paul is talking about ‘smaller’ things now. Paul is not talking about things that are ‘smaller’ than ‘all things’ in the world. Rather, he is talking about ‘new’ things, since the church is God’s new creation through His Son. As I said before when talking about the image of God, the church is the ‘new humanity’ of God.
 
In fact, Jesus being head of the church is not a new concept that’s only used in this letter. Paul often uses the metaphor of the body to explain the nature of the church. Just as there are many parts in one body, the church consists of many different kinds of people who have different gifts that are to be used for one purpose—the glory of God.
 
But, that’s not the point Paul is making in Colossians. What Paul is emphasizing is that the church depends on Jesus. Just as a body can’t live without its head, the church can’t exist without Jesus. The life of the church is solely dependent on Jesus. He must be the head of the church through which we receive the nutrients we need for spiritual life and growth.
 
This emphasis is more clearly shown in Colossians 2:19.
“[From] the head, the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.” (Col 2:19)
 
This is what we’re to know as God’s people who are part of the body of Jesus Christ. There are many different communities in the world that depend on different things. People gather together according to their interests with different purposes.
 
But the purpose and the foundation of the church community must always be Jesus. He has to be the reason and the purpose for our gathering. If we drift away from this fact, we can’t call our gatherings ‘church’ anymore because the church can be defined as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Co 1:2)
 
The community whose head is Christ and is nourished by His words must be different from all other communities in the world.
 
However, what makes me sad is the fact that  these days, church communities don’t really look different from other communities. The subjects we talk about, the interests we have, and the things we do in the church become no different from what other communities do.
 
There are even church communities that are much worse than other communities. That’s because they don’t put Jesus first in their gatherings. They haven’t really acknowledged the supremacy of Jesus over everything in their lives. They don’t really try to be nourished by His words. How can we live lives that are different from others and please the Lord?
 
We are new creations in Christ. If we acknowledge this fact, we must also acknowledge that He is the head and the Lord of our lives. The excellence of the church community doesn’t depend on who the members are, but who the real head is.
 
That’s the kind of community I want us to be. What I’m most worried about in our young adult community is not how many members are in it, but whether or not Christ is the head of this community. If Christ isn’t the only reason for our gathering, there’s no use in gathering.
 
However, I firmly believe that if we really focus on Him and put Him first over everything we do, God will definitely work through our community and use us for His glorious purpose.
 
Christ must be “the beginning” of our gathering so that in everything we do, He might become glorious and “have supremacy.”
 
All right. Let’s continue talking about the supremacy of Jesus and the sufficiency of His ministry of salvation next Sunday. Let’s wrap up with prayer.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us this opportunity to know who Jesus is through Your word.
 
We want to know more of who He is—how great and supreme He is not only over our lives but over everything on earth. Please open our hearts and minds and fill us up with the knowledge of Christ so that we may grow in Him and glorify Him in everything we do.
 
Oh Lord, we want You to be the only reason and purpose for our gathering. Please continue to work in us and show us who You are. Please rule over us and be glorified through our worship.
 
We thank You and love You Lord.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
 
Sharing Questions
Today we talked about the supremacy of Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of His work of salvation for all people.
 
1) Where do you find Jesus’ supremacy? Why do you think it is important to acknowledge His superiority over everything when it comes to His work of salvation? Does Jesus have supreme value in your life, or is there anything that you prioritize over Jesus?
 
2) What are some characteristics of a church that puts Jesus first? Or what are some characteristics of a church that doesn’t put Jesus first? What are some practical ways to place Jesus as the head in the church community?